What is Mohs Surgery?

Mohs Mircrographic Surgery, also referred to as chemosurgery, is an advanced treatment method that board-certified surgeons successfully use to address cancerous growths on the skin such as basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The surgery typically involves cutting out the lesions from the root of the tumor and then expanding to the surface of the skin with the top layer of the tumor, removing each layer of skin until the cancerous cell no longer remains. Dr. Suzman works along side the skilled surgeon who performs the Mohs surgery in order to successfully address any scarring that may occur post-op and help to reconstruct the skin for the most natural-looking appearance possible. After the growths are removed, they can leave open wounds, scarring, and other skin irregularities. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Suzman is passionate about offering his patients restoration for their skin and minimal scarring using advanced reconstructive techniques that will vary based on the extent of the lesion and the removal process. He and the surgeon performing the removal will collaborate to ensure the most optimal process is administered. Dr. Suzman is highly-recognized for his work in cancer treatment, and he invites his patients who are in need of skin cancer removal to schedule a consult with him today at his WESTMED office in Westchester County, NY or Greenwich, CT.

Procedure Process

A surgeon will use a local anesthetic to numb the surgery site. Then, he or she will begin to excise, or cut, horizontal layers of the cancer starting from the bottom-most layer. The layer will immediately be frozen, treated with dye and looked at under a microscope. A tumor map is generated to see if any more cancerous cells remain. This allows for an immediate microscopic examination of the excised cells, which is known as tissue histology. If more cancer cells are discovered, another layer of skin will be removed. This process will continue until there is no more cancer present. Once complete, the surgeon will examine the wound and will either use sutures to stitch it up or call in our plastic surgeon, Dr. Suzman, for further consultation to ensure the scarring is kept to a minimum and the skin is restored as much as possible.

Mohs Surgery Reconstruction Reviews

"Doctor Suzman closed after my Mohs surgery. The surgery was in a sensitive area, on my nostril. Dr. Suzman and his team did a great job of fixing the wound and after only 1 month, it's hardly noticable. Amazing. I'm very happy to say the least."

4.9

What to Expect

Compared to other skin cancer treatments, Mohs is significantly more labor intensive and can require more than one physician to successfully perform the surgery. A patient might encounter up to four doctors during the surgery, including a surgeon, histotechnician, pathologist and a reconstructive or plastic surgeon. Since anesthesia is used, most patients experience little pain during surgery but may feel mild discomfort. As an outpatient surgery, Mohs is usually performed in a doctor’s office but occasionally it’ll be performed in an outpatient surgical center. The entire process usually takes several hours depending on the complexity or size of the cancer.

Treatment Aftercare

After surgery, most patients experience little pain, so medication usually isn’t required. If there’s pain associated with the surgery, a doctor will normally advise an over-the-counter painkiller. While the majority of patients are able to return to normal activities by the next day, patients must refrain from taking part in strenuous exercise for 1-3 weeks. If the wound was stitched, a doctor will remove the stitches anywhere from 4 to 14 days after surgery. Since cancer is removed layer-by-layer, micrographic surgery provides a high cure rate as well as preserving surrounding healthy skin, but there’s always a potential for scarring, but our plastic surgeon will do his best to reduce the appearance of the scars as much as possible. It’s unlikely that cancer will recur after this surgery. When treating primary basal cell carcinoma, the success rate is 97%-99%. Squamous cell carcinoma has a cure rate of around 94%. Treating melanoma-in-situ is heavily dependent upon the skill of the surgeon and the success rate can range anywhere from 75% to 95%.

Plan Your Procedure

Effective Skin Restoration

For any skin cancer patient considering Mohs Micrographic surgery as a treatment option, it is extremely important to find the right surgeon. The success rate of this surgery is highly connected to the skill and care of the doctor performing it. Scarring and skin irregularities unfortunately can be an issue after having cancerous cells removed, and that's why Dr. Suzman offers reconstructive surgery to help reduce the signs of scarring and restore a patient's skin as effectively as possible. We invite anyone in need of skin cancer removal surgery to consult with our skilled plastic surgeon at WESTMED Group in Westchester County, NY to help create an individulized treatment plan for them.